Central Maine Community College has appointed Paul True as the new head coach of the Women’s Basketball program ahead of the 2026-27 season. The longtime Maine high school head coach moves into the college game with 359 wins under his belt having grown the Lake Region and Skowhegan girls programs over a 20-year career.
“I am thrilled that Coach True has agreed to become our new women’s basketball coach,” said Director of Athletics Dave Gonyea. “In 1997, we launched women’s basketball at Central Maine and were fortunate to hire Mike Bridges as the first coach in program history. Coach Bridges built the foundation for success and left CMCC as a legend, compiling an outstanding 238-74 record while establishing a brand-new program. He was followed by another legendary leader in Andrew Morong, who amassed an incredible 376-55 record over fifteen years and achieved the extraordinary feat of winning four USCAA national championships. Now, that proud tradition continues with the hiring of Paul True.”
“Coach True is a legend in his own right, with a career defined by championship success and excellence. Central Maine women’s basketball has been privileged to be guided by two legendary coaches, and now it will be led by a third. I believe everyone in Mustang Nation will be excited about this new chapter.”
True joins CMCC from Lake Region High School in Naples, ME where he has been the girls varsity basketball since 2004. He guided the Lakers to six Western Maine Conference (WMC) championships, seven Maine Class B West championships, and the 2014 Maine Class B State Championship. True was selected as an MPA coach of the year six times at Lake Region and twice more at Skowhegan Area High School where he coached the girls team from 1997-2004. He was named the Portland Press Herald’s Coach of the Year in 2014.
He has been the Athletic Administrator at Lake Region since 2006 and has been the Gold Rush Team Camp Co-Director since 2003 running basketball camps in Waterville, ME. This past year, True headed up the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association as its president.
A former college basketball player himself, True lit up the basketball court at the University of Maine at Farmington from 1989-93, scoring 1,040 points and putting himself fourth all-time on the Beavers’ record books with 476 assists. He came to UMF after a prolific career at Fryeburg Academy, where he left the school as its all-time leading scorer with 1,301 points.
The Central Maine Community College campus will not be unfamiliar territory for coach True, having sent several players on to the program over the years, including his daughter Chandler True, who played for the Mustangs in 2019-20 after transferring from Methodist University. His most recent player to come through the program was Ava Smith, who ended this past season with CMCC as the USCAA National Championship MVP.
“I am incredibly grateful to be returning to the sidelines and coaching women’s basketball at CMCC,” True said. “I am very blessed to have this opportunity, and I look forward to getting to work with student-athletes that share the same passion for the game of basketball that I do. I am honored to be stepping into a successful program and following an outstanding leader in coach Morong. Lastly, I want to thank coach Gonyea and the Lake Region School District for giving me this opportunity. Let’s go!”
The CMCC Women’s Basketball program is coming off another fantastic season. The Mustangs won the fourth United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championship in program history with a dominating performance in Buffalo, NY. They also captured their ninth straight Yankee Small College Conference regular season and tournament titles, being ranked as the #1 team in the USCAA from the first preseason poll to the end of the campaign.
The squad featured three All-American and four All-Conference selections and is sending two of its graduating players onto the NCAA Division II level on scholarship. The program was also impressive off the court, with a record eight players earning Academic All-American honors.
The team looks to return strong in the fall semester, expecting to open the 2026-27 season in October.
https://www.cmmustangs.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/releases/20260507f4up3p
Tagged with: Juco USCAA
